Summerhouse by Yiğit Karaahmet, translated from the Turkish by Nicholas Glastonbury
To their neighbors on Büyükada, a sleepy island off the coast of Istanbul, pianist Şener and playwright Fehmi are known to their neighbors as unusual artist friends who share a lush, hilltop garden estate. Only their closest friends know the two men have been romantic partners for forty years. The pair are looking forward to yet another quiet summer spent working on creative and domestic projects.
The rhythm of their idyllic private life is shattered by the arrival of new next-door neighbors. Fehmi is immediately infatuated with Deniz, a beautiful teenager with a violent past, while Şener befriends his worried mother. Boredom, jealousy, and insecurity about their aging bodies: conditions are ripe for a summer of bad decisions. This slow-burn of a novel takes its sweet time raising the stakes. When a brewing storm finally sets off a chain of irreversible events, readers won’t be sure whether to cheer for the couple or their comeuppance. Summerhouse is a soapy, suspenseful melodrama whose comparisons to The Talented Mr. Ripley are well-earned.
Reviewed by Emma Radosevich, collection development librarian, Whatcom County Library System
(Originally published in Bellingham Alive September 2025 issue.)